Congrats Duff! This makes for a great Friday!
To answer your questions Mookie we haven't set a date yet but are looking at August or September of 2008. Her name is Misty. Goes well with my middle name of Gust. We're pretty meterological, I guess!
On the train front I've been seeing a lot of UP engines on the CN lately plus that one ex-UP SD40-2 on the WSOR...they must owe some hours!
What do you guys want for lunch?
Dan
Congratulations, Duff!!! Such a cute baby!
Mookie - I have no idea who Willy1 is. I've often wondered about that myself. The way I'm feeling today, there may not be a Willy2 by the end of the day. Too sick to go to school today and I'll probably be headed to the doctor later this morning.
At least the weather is nice. The nice 70 degree temperatures we're going to have later this afternoon should give me hope that I'll live to see tomorrow.
Willy
Well, it seems we get to welcome a "New Member" to the Diner/Forum Family!!
Duff (nightrain) gave birth to Sadie Mon. She weighed in at 6lbs, 4ozs, 17".
All seem to be healthy!!!!! She asked us to share a pic., so here it is!!
Congratulations are in order!!
(and I'm sure she's going to love trains!!)
Being Crazy,keeps you from going "INSANE" !! "The light at the end of the tunnel,has been turned off due to budget cuts" NOT AFRAID A Vet., and PROUD OF IT!!
Lucky me, I live about a block away from the old Fort Worth and Denver ( former joint CB&Q Rock Island, now BNSF) main line into Houston...if it is headed to or coming from Forth Worth, it goes by here.
Some evenings, the kids and I just walk to the end of the block with camp chairs and watch the parade.
I fact, I can get a preview of what will be waiting for me at work, as most of BN's traffic to the PTRA passes by home first.
On the way to work, I have to drive past Pierce Yard, (BN) Settagast, (former MoPac and HB&T, now UP) Englewood, (former SP, now UP) and under the Englewood hump...past Basin yard, (HB&T, now UP) and I end up working at North Yard, with the Houston Ship channel just a 100 yards away...so I get trains to both switch and watch, and big ships to watch all day long...
And with the North Yard being in a heavy Spanish populated area, we have taco stands all over the place, so breakfast can be quite good...about once a week we pig out on tamales, home made by one of our "cab" drivers....I often get to work early, so I can sit in the yard tower, eat breakfast tacos, drink coffee and watch the show!
23 17 46 11
mookie
I am within an hour.doesnt mean we drive an hour all the time.alot of trips to the store we get sidetracked or is that trackside? but we can choose the railroad line and go from there.I even forgot the maumee & western who uses the old wabash line and goes slow.Yes mookie lima is home to the lima locomotive works.the buildings aren't there anymore either.I'm making some more coffee and juice and some lemonade for today.who wants burgers and brats for lunch today.great day to grill out and watch trains.Yep that may birthday is on the calendar so we'll be ready.have a great day everyone.
stay safe
joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
I am just all over the place this morning. Getting up at 2:30 with a brain full of questions will do that to you.
I wrote down the specifics - will digest them as time permits. I did read the trains magazine article on the Transcon - but like I said - unless I can touch it - it is hard for me to relate to it. If you said see it on the #4 track at first and J - I would know exactly what and where.
Anyway - Quentin - you have tracks in downtown Muncie? I like that! You also see no coal - bummer!
Joe - if I had to drive an hour to see most of the trains, I may never have developed the "habit". Lima Ohio - home of the Lima Engines?
Quentin - truss bridges - ones that have cross-members (notice I am not even close to a carpenter let alone an engineer!) From a distance they look like someone made them out of matchsticks?
Brian - I can relate to UP and pretty much cross country. That will be a way to remember the Transcon. Would Willy see this in Fremont/Omaha?
Tree: water level - does that describe the placement of the tracks running along on the same level as the water - now need to figure out which body of water (Erie, maybe?)
Will drag out my atlas and as work permits, will try to fasten this into my memory banks!
Moo........
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
I have a lot to sort through from yesterday, so whilst I do that - I have two more questions for different members:
Dan - belated congrats and have you set a date? Can you give us a first name of your lady-in-waiting? Or maybe your pet name for her?
Willy2: who is Willy 1? You are doing an incredible job on the weather - keep it up!
Circle May 5 on your calendars - I will be off for the weekend, but you will want to bring your favorite party hat and best wishes to the diner for our very special cook on her birthday. Wonder if she will bake me a chocolate cake for her birthday.......
Back to sorting through my new facts!
Mook
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
To add to the Transcon thing - Trans-Continental - it's a mainline across the continent. There may be other ways to route traffic from the Mississippi west and vice versa, but this one is the expressway. Hence the many fast trains. As Joe points out, check out the recent Trains article about Abo Canyon.
The Chicago line is CSX's northern version of that - a conduit between Albany and the Windy City - NYC's old Water Level Route. Two tracks - lots of stacks, manifests, etc. One rarely has to sit long anywhere along the line (the Carousel Mall parking lot in Syracuse is a good seat for me, or the platform at Utica Union Station) to see several trains go by.
The line near me, on the other hand, is relatively lightly travelled - a secondary route.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
mookie bnsf transcon-hot fast stack trains.also trains did a feature of their track building a couple issues back.seems they need to build a big bridge over a cayon(abo canyon?)
matt and i are here in nw ohio.within a hours drive we can get to deshler fostoria lima toledo ft wayne. and other places just to name a few.I also work right along the former nyc(NS) main in archbold ohio.we have csxs(B&O) route between the NYC and NKP (NS) lines.You can find us at deshler on the weekends but sometimes we go along the B&O in defiance at veterans memorial park(lattys grove).its a nice little park where matt can play and there is ice cream nearby too.
I have my plate for work.I can also help out in the diner too.happy friday
....Normally nothing very exciting in my normal RR world here in Muncie but that is our daily routine so must take what we can get.
We have NS entering from the north, northeast, south and from the northwest.....and CSX passing through on {double track}, from east to west, etc....
Traffic is moderate.....Seems quite a bit passes thru at night as we can hear activity here at our home {about a mile or so from the line coming in from the northwest}.
Traffic through here: Auto racks....Mixed freight.....double stacks.....some TOFC traffic.....Grain trains.....and of course the Triple Crown run daily.....No Amtrak. It used to run where our Trail is now...The Cardinal. Before Amtrak, we had roughly a half dozen passenger trains on NYC.
All rail traffic converges and passes thru some part of mostly downtown Muncie. {Everything crosses at south Walnut st.}.
One can hear train horns almost any time while visiting in downtown Muncie. Former C&O line ROW that passes thru here was a line from Cincinnati to Chicago area. It is being transformed into a biking and walking Trail....{a work in progress}, "Cardinal Greenway". We now have over 30 miles of it paved and really nice and is very popular with folks from a wide radius.
Our Depot that served that route has been totally renovated {$800,000}, worth....and it has some RR artifacts on display inside along with the Trail offices, etc....It is a good place to park or set on available benches there to watch train activity just to the outside of the Trail and parallel to it for several hundred feet....
We have a McDonalds parking lot one can watch the activity on the Frankfort line...coming in right next to it from the northwest.
So that's an overview of our RR's in Muncie.....All are main line type of lines except the line towards the northeast has been downgraded in past years somewhat....
The CSX main east west line is former Conrail....former...NYC...former....Big four. NS is former Nickleplate.
There are 2 large thru truss RR bridges {abandoned}, close to the "depot" still in place and railfans might like to stop and take a look at them while in our area. They are just a quarter mile northwest of the depot on the Trail. The bridges served the Pennsylvania RR over 35 years ago.
Quentin
Brian - can you explain Transcon to me in 50,000 words or less? I keep reading about it, seeing it on the forum, but unless I can touch, see or smell - it doesn't remain.
I'll chime in- I usually hang out around the UP transcon here in CR, when I get the chance anyway. Never a dull moment on that line.
I see Bergie's been doing some spring cleaning...
Yep, I'm around. I've just been keeping a low profile lately. Now today I'm sick with allergies or a cold, or something. Anyway, where do I watch trains? Mainly in and around Omaha.
I usually head down to near Plattsmouth, Nebraska which is just south of Omaha. There is a junction between the BNSF's Creston Sub and UP's Falls City Sub called Oreapolis which has pretty good traffic. The BNSF usually hauls coal and the UP usually hauls grain.
Another spot is the Omaha Amtrak station, again with BNSF and UP.
Finally, I like Fremont, Nebraska which is just northwest of Omaha. Again, UP and BNSF are the railroads of choice. UP runs a ton of trains through Fremont (how's 15 in two hours?) while the BNSF is usually pretty slow.
Every-now-and-then I'll venture somewhere else, but those are the main train watching spots for me.
Everyone have a good day. If I wasn't sick I'd try to help out with the cooking while CW is gone, but I don't want to contaminate everything and make other people sick too.
Mookie wrote: Opinion time - we need to redo in here. Maybe a short description of where you watch and what you watch - (limit it to trains - those of you who will try to be funny! )
Opinion time - we need to redo in here.
Maybe a short description of where you watch and what you watch - (limit it to trains - those of you who will try to be funny! )
Willy is around somewhere so he will tell you about where he watches north of where I watch.
Most of the regulars know this, but just to take up space and make a pest of myself: I watch BNSF at the edge of Hobson Yard Lincoln NE. I don't have to move anything but my head once in awhile, don't chase anything except maybe a hot dog and it is free! We move coal mostly, but lots of all kinds of freight including airplane parts and bodies (someone said they saw 4 on one train, which is about 1-2 more than usual. We used to see the Coors train go through fairly regularly, but not lately. Believe me - I wouldn't drink anything that came out of those cars - they were really, really ugly!
We have been told by the city fathers that we run approximately 100 trains a day through our little world!
It's exciting.
Next?
CW I'd be glad to step in and 'fix a few for a few' although I could never fill your shoes I'll do what I can.
On the current frame of reference I'm usually watching the CN near the Neenah or Fond du Lac yards. Occasionally I'll sit near the mainline in Oshkosh. If I'm watching the WSOR I'm usually chasing it, literally, between Oshkosh and Horicon. Anything else such as CP or UP depends on where I'm going and if I have any time. I'd love to chase the WN and the DM&E.
I'll put lunch on. How's about burgers, brats, dogs, and chicken breasts on the grill with sides of 'tater salad and chips? Now where did that drum of Mt. Dew go....
Opinion time - we need to redo in here. All we do is eat and wear CW out cooking. Anyone have some ideas about some of the subjects we could discuss with out our moufs full?
I will see if anyone agrees with me and maybe we can come up with some interesting tidbits to pass back and forth.
I can do the homemade hashbrowns and bacon. And biscuits and gravy will be good too. How about sourdough toast?
CW Have a great weekend. Do some trainwatching and kick back at a nice resort where there is a pool. See ya Monday
Thanks for the doughnuts, Dan. They are much appreciated!
Ray CANADIANPACIFIC2816
Good morning, all. Dan, thanks for getting breakfast this morning. Do you think you or someone else could handle things for a couple, three days? I think I need some down time, and since things have been really slow in here, I think now would be a good time to take a break. Got several people in here who could do a good job, and I trust you all to keep things going in here.
Bye for now,
morning
ns was rather colorful this morning .a black unit a conrail blue and a cn sd40-2.just pondering what our state govt is doing with the money we give them.seems they are more concerned about certain clubs then the funding for our schools.getting nicer outside. off to do a top secret project.
ORB ALERT!
Got up this morning and there was this big glowing orb in the sky! Oh, wait, that's the sun. Haven't seen it in a while....
Looks like a good weekend coming up - 60's possible. Most of the snow is gone - only a few places where it got piled up by plows still remain.
Bearclaw and some orange-n-spice tea and I'll be back in the corner with my rules books...
Bad case of NAP...
@
Well, looks like we've been kind of slow in here this afternoon, so I've replenished the warmer bar with more pork chop abracadbra and accompanying side dishes.
And Joe, there are a couple of big containers in the fridge, with your name on them, for work tonight.
Willy, keep up the good work, with the school projects and tests.
Good Afternoon.
It is certainly nice here this afternoon. Temperatures in the upper 60s, sunny skies, and light winds. It looks like we may see some severe weather this weekend, but more nice weather until then.
Been busy at school lately with projects and tests, but tomorrow looks like a fairly quiet day. I could use a break.
Hope everyone has a good rest of the week.
Sorry about being so late with lunch; but just got back home from going to the dr. this morning. Everything's fine, was just a follow-up visit.
Fortunately, I put some pork chop abracadbra in the Crock Pot this morning, so that is ready for your lunch. Along with the pork chops, you have: scalloped potatoes, peas, corn, and tossed salad and Caesar salad. Regular cake desserts are on the counter, and pies are in the cooler.
Anyone have any requests for supper?!?!
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